One of my writing practices is to ask my spirit guides a question and then immediately write whatever comes to me. This is how I write many of the blog posts you’ll find here. The answers I get help me whenever I’m feeling down and need a push to keep moving forward. So today’s post is for those days when you feel like you just can’t seem to accomplish your goals and you want to give up.

The Question: What do I do when I’m discouraged, haven’t hit my goals, and just want to give up? I feel like a failure and am tired of trying so hard.

Answer:

My guess is that there are some things you’re really good at. Some things that come so easily to you that you discount them.

Maybe you do them all the time and don’t think twice. Or maybe you stopped doing them because somewhere along the way you decided things weren’t supposed to be that easy.

So now you’re trying the hard way. Now you’re going out into the world and trying to excel at those things that don’t come so easily to you, that in fact come with great difficulty, if they come at all.

Why?

I know that might seem like the opposite of what you would expect me to say. I know you want me to say, “Push past your boundaries. Get out of your comfort zone. Try harder.”

Well, yeah. That’s good advice. I’m not knocking it.

But it’s not the only way to do things.

You say that you’re tired of trying so hard. You’re discouraged. You just want to give up.

So why don’t you?

Seriously. Stop beating your head against that damn wall.

It’s clearly not your wall.

Stop trying to break that wall down and walk around it. Or find a different wall. Or turn around and make a beeline for anything other than that wall.

Just stop trying so hard.

Heck, I’m exhausted just thinking about you putting all your energy into something that’s not working.

So here’s the deal. There are a lot of ways you can approach this. But I suggest you start by looking back at those things in your life that are super easy. What comes naturally? What are those things you do that nobody else does quite like you?

Now, how can you apply those things to your current situation? Can you use them to scale that wall? Can you use them to succeed at a different wall? Do they lead you in a completely different direction?

Take the easy route, sister. Use your gifts. They were given to you for a reason. If the way you’re doing things isn’t working, then it’s not your way.